Back in July, it was announced that a new management company had taken over the unique tented community known as Cinnamon Bay on the gorgeous island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The news was greeted with enthusiasm by the tens of thousands of unpretentious, cost-conscious tourists who, over the years, have used large tents as their beachfront accommodations in St. John.
The new...

The Pineapple villa at Nickelodeon Hotels &amp; Resorts Punta Cana (photo: nickresortpuntacana/Instagram)
It's not quite living in a pineapple under the sea, but it's as close as you're likely to get.
At the new Nickelodeon-themed beach resort in the Dominican Republic—not to be confused with Orlando's old Nick hotel, which closed in February—you can stay in a two-bedroom, three-...

A Massachusetts family had a close call with a great white shark this week, and they're crediting a new app for saving the day.
Kressley Goldstein, her sister-in-law, her husband, and their two kids were spending a quiet afternoon on Cape Cod's Chatham beach, when Goldstein got a notification from Sharktivity, an app launched by the non-profit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. The app is ...

Apple Vacations, a giant vacation outfit beloved by deal-seekers but unknown to many, is making a big move into California by adding charter-flight vacations to three major airports in the Bay Area and Orange County: San Francisco (SFO), Mineta San José International Airport (SJC), and Orange County's John Wayne Airport (SNA). All the new gateways will sells vacations to Los Cabos, and SFO and...

And another piece—no, make that two—has fallen into place for Americans with a yen to visit the long-forbidden Cuba. Today, massive online lodging company AirBnB (it serves as a marketplace for apartment and room rentals around the globe) announced that it would be repping more than 1000 beds in Cuba, just as online insurance marketplace InsureMyTrip.com sent out a press release that the numbe...

Kim Kardashian goes to the Riviera Nayarit yearly. Christina Aguilera got engaged there. And on the visit I finished last week, I shared the sands with the Presidents of Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Columbia and Mexico. (OK, I never actually saw any of them in their speedos and bikinis, but they were gathering in the town of Punta de Mita for a high-stakes meeting of the Pacific Alliance).
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Let me start this blog by stating that there's no evidence that the number of searches for a destination will translate into more visits for said destination. But it is a fascinating exercise to see which countries and cities drew the most attention on the internet, at least in 2013. And the answer is: there is no definitive answer.
In an article today by the International Business Times t...

When it comes to tips on how to travel better and more affordably, there are some old-chestnuts that always apply. But though they sound obvious, many actually require insider knowledge to use effectively. I’m here to supply that, so here goes.
Tip 1: Travel in the off-season to save money: Yes, that’s correct, but when exactly is the “off-season”? Truth is off-season varies greatly from d...

Iberostar, a Spanish operator of major beach resorts for the past 30 years, is opening its first resort on the Mexican Pacific Coast this December, and to drum up word of mouth, it's slashing rates for people willing to buy ahead.
The new, five-star Iberostar Playa Mita will be 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta in the Riviera Nayarit area, far from major cities and so far dominated by long...